Aramco cyber attack targeted Saudi production

The oil giant says an August cyber attack on its computer network targeted not just the company but the kingdom's economy as a whole, seeking to stop oil and gas production. The interior ministry joined Aramco's investigation into the attack that affected some 30,000 of the firm's computers.

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DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia (AFP) -- Oil giant Saudi Aramco said
Sunday that an August cyber attack on its computer network
targeted not just the company but the kingdom's economy as a
whole.

The interior ministry, which joined Aramco's investigation
into the attack that affected some 30,000 of the firm's
computers, said it was carried out by organized hackers from
several different foreign countries.

"The attack targeted the whole economy of the country, not
just Aramco as an entity," said Abdullah al-Saadan, who headed
the company's inquiry team. "The aim was to stop pumping oil
and gas to domestic and international markets."

Interior ministry spokesman General Mansur al-Turki said the
joint investigation had established that an "organized group
launched the attack from outside the kingdom and from different
countries."

"It is in the interest of the investigation not to reveal
any results," he told reporters, stressing that "no Aramco
employees or contractors were involved in the hacking."

On Aug. 27, Aramco said it had restored its main internal
network after the Aug. 15 attack, which it described as a
"malicious virus that originated from external sources."

The state-owned group which runs all of Saudi Arabia's oil
production said at the time that its oil exploration and
production were unaffected "as they operate on isolated network
systems."

Dow Jones Newswires

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